Popcorn is a highly popular snack food item. In the past, the at-home preparation of popcorn by the consumer involved adding kernel popcorn plus a cooking oil to a covered pot and heating until the popcorn kernels popped to make popcorn. As used herein, "kernel popcorn" refers to unpopped popcorn. The noun "popcorn" or synonymously "popped popcorn" refers herein to popped kernel popcorn. The adjective "popcorn" can refer to either. Once prepared, common, relatively coarse, table salt is a frequently added flavoring or condiment. The resultant salted popped popcorn is a familiar snack food.
More recently, microwave popcorn products have become extremely popular. At present, in the U.S., over 70 different brands of microwave popcorn products are available. In general, the more popular microwave popcorn products comprise an expandable paper bag containing a charge of kernel popcorn, fat and salt. The microwave popcorn article is adapted to be heated in a microwave oven for three to five minutes to produce the popped popcorn. More recently, improved microwave popcorn articles have been fabricated employing a metallized susceptor which facilitates the heating of the kernel popcorn-fat charge and which, in turn, leads desirably to increases in popcorn volume and decreases in unpopped kernels. Microwave popcorn articles of this type are described in detail in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,180 (issued May 22, 1984 to J. D. Watkins and incorporated herein by reference).
Microwave popcorn articles, of course, comprise a microwave popping bag and a charge of kernel popcorn, fat, and, usually, salt. Certain early patents taught the addition of kernel popcorn, fat and salt in the form of a prefabricated toroid or doughnut shaped piece. The piece was fabricated by mixing the kernel popcorn, salt and melted fat to form a blend and the blend was allowed to cool and harden into the toroid shape desired. These circular pieces were then dropped into the desired chamber of the popcorn bag prior to final sealing. (See for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,180, issued May 22, 1984).
Contemporary methods of filling microwave popcorn bags, however, employ a different filling process and technique. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,854 entitled "Machine For Forming, Filling and Sealing Bags," issued Aug. 12, 1986 to D. W. Andreas). The microwave bags having an unsealed open end are advanced to a first kernel popcorn filling station. While being maintained in an open position, the kernel popcorn is charged to the desired channel. Thereafter, the bags are advanced to a second filling station at which the fat/salt slurry is added to the bag. Typically, the slurry is added in the form of a vertically dispensed pencil jet (i.e., a confined stream) of the slurry. Single station filling methods are also known that involve applying the fat/salt slurry as a spray onto the kernel popcorn as the kernel popcorn falls into the bag. (See, for example WO 95/01105 entitled "Reduced Fat Microwave Popcorn and Method of Preparation" published Jan. 12, 1995, or, equivalently, U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,979 issued Nov. 25, 1997) which is incorporated herein by reference. Such single station filling techniques are especially useful for the preparation of low fat microwave popcorn products.
The bags now containing both kernel popcorn and slurry are then advanced to a sealing station where the bags are provided with a top seal to complete the closure of the bag. The sealed popcorn bags are advanced to subsequent finish packaging operations which complete the folding of the bags, providing the bags with an overwrap, and inserting appropriate numbers of the bags into cartons, etc.
Thus, while microwave popcorn products are popular, it would be desirable if such microwave popcorn products were fortified with supplemental calcium to provide a significantly nutritionally enhanced product. By significantly nutritionally enhanced is meant a product having at least 10% of the current recommended daily intake ("RDI") or at least 360 mg of calcium (including both the native and supplemental contributions) per 100 grams of unpopped microwave popcorn.
One conceivable approach is to merely add the calcium along with the salt to the slurry to facilitate calcium fortification of the food charge. However, a first problem can reside in the slurry viscosity. The slurry viscosity rises rapidly as more particulates are added. If an additional particulate is desired to be added to the slurry such as for flavor or mineral fortification, then addition of requisite amounts of salt to the slurry results in a slurry having a paste consistency and a viscosity too high to pump. This is especially true in the more concentrated slurry typically used for ultra low fat popcorn--usually about 94% fat free.
A second problem is plugging of the orifice of the pencil jet nozzle used to charge the slurry to the bag that can occur when the slurry viscosity is too high. While plugging is a problem when salt alone is added to the slurry, such plugging problems are compounded when the slurry contains supplemental particulates such as a calcium mineral.
Still another problem with adding is that the calcium ingredient is to ensure that the calcium ingredient is both visually and organoleptically indiscernible.
In view of the prior art and the problems described above, there is a continuing need for new and useful microwave popcorn products that provide enhanced nutrition and particularly enhanced calcium levels. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide microwave popcorn products having improved mineral nutrient properties.
In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide methods for preparing calcium fortified microwave popcorn products.
In view of these processing difficulties, a further important object of the present invention is to provide for commercially practical methods for preparing calcium fortified microwave popcorn products.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide methods for prepared calcium fortified microwave popcorn products wherein the calcium is supplied by insoluble calcium salts such as calcium carbonates.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide calcium fortified microwave popcorn having desirable levels of salt.
It has been surprisingly discovered that the above objectives can be realized and superior microwave popcorn products provided by formulating food charge compositions disposed with microwave popcorn bags, popcorn fat, salt and a calcium ingredient of particular particle size.
It has been surprisingly discovered that the above objectives can be realized and that microwave popcorn articles can be provided that exhibit novel consumer appeal. In the preferred embodiment, the present invention resides in part in the separate, sequential filling of kernel popcorn, fat and at least a portion of the salt and/or calcium ingredient in particulate form at their individual respective filling stations. By applying the kernel popcorn/fat/salt separately in the particular sequence in combination with selecting salt and the calcium ingredient each of a particular particle size range, improved calcium enriched microwave popcorn articles are achieved.